Vacuum appliances that are capable of picking up both wet and dry materials are commonly known as wet/dry vacuums. Such wet/dry vacuums are well known in the art and are commercially available in a variety of sizes and configurations. Recent consumer trends have placed significant cost pressures the commercially available wet/dry vacuums and as such, many manufacturers are presently producing low-end, relatively small capacity low-cost units and/or high-end, relatively high capacity high-cost professional grade units.
The low-end, low-cost units are frequently employed by professional users, such as installers, service technicians and tradespeople in residential construction. These professionals are commonly required to clean their job site prior to leaving for their next job and as such, they frequently prefer the smaller size and portability that are typical of these units. These units, however, are known to have several drawbacks.
One such drawback relates to convenience of the known wet/dry vacuums and in particular the relatively long amount of time that is necessary for their set-up, the frequency with which the hose becomes disconnected during transport or use and the frequency with which the attachments are lost. Due to the relative bulk of the known wet/dry vacuums and their attachments, the professional user frequently makes a dedicated trip to transport the wet/dry vacuum to or from a jobsite.
Another drawback relates to the availability of electrical power on a given jobsite. In new residential construction, it is relatively common to encounter a jobsite where electrical power from an electrical utility is unavailable. In some situations, it may be possible to acquire electrical power from a nearby location (e.g., a neighbor) through long, heavy extension cords. Alternatively, a portable generator is required. The inconvenience of heavy extension cords and the expense and inconvenience of a portable generator is highly undesirable to a professional user, particularly considering that the professional user frequently uses the wet/dry vacuum for less than 10 minutes on a given jobsite.
Yet another drawback concerns the filter system of the known wet/dry vacuums. These filter systems typically employ a disposable filter that is fixedly attached to the lid of the vacuum or some other supporting structure that fits around and covers the fan. When clogged, the disposable filter can severely limit the flow of air through the fan, which significantly impairs the ability of the wet/dry vacuum to pick up debris. Often times, however, a replacement filter is not available to the professional user so that the wet/dry vacuum is simply used at reduced efficiency. Other drawbacks of the known filtering systems include the inconvenience of servicing a filter, which usually entails disassembly of the wet/dry vacuum so as to expose the jobsite to the contents of the canister, and insufficient filtering that results in the discharge of dust from the wet/dry vacuum when the wet/dry vacuum is turned on.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a wet/dry vacuum having improved convenience and performance.